


Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

by SunnyD_lite



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Gen, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-31
Updated: 2010-03-31
Packaged: 2017-10-08 13:46:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/76253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnyD_lite/pseuds/SunnyD_lite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: Things are changing</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Thank you to my beta **spiralleds** for holding my hand as my muse took off to parts unknown until Friday night! She did a rapid beta and then in depth analysis over IM. She tried folks, all errors are mine.  
> TamingtheMuse prompt: Comics

"Great time yesterday, Xander. Next time we need more Ho-Hos to go with the root beer." Jesse slid into his seat with his backpack hanging half open, sneaking in just before Mrs. Roth took attendance.

It was a ritual. She'd been hearing about it each and every Monday morning for forever. Sunday afternoons, after collecting their allowances, Xander and Jesse would get together and hang out. "Guy time" they called it, but they weren't great with the details.

She wasn't sure what it meant, but thought maybe they rough-housed, or built things, or...Hey, wait! Why couldn't she do those things? Well, not the rough-housing, her mom always said that only those who couldn't fight with their brains fought with their fists. And Willow knew where her strength lay, and it wasn't in strength, unless carrying books made you strong?

When she found out the library would only let children check out ten books at a time, she'd been so annoyed. So she made up for it by checking out the anthologies. Of course that also made her backpack the equivalent to a bronze metal for weight lifting.

At first she tried not to notice her non-invite to those Sundays. She also had times when she couldn't invite them to hang out. But those nights were busy with extra math and science classes, stuff they wouldn't want to do.

This was its first year of the extra classes, which were an early start for high school. It meant she wouldn't skip a year at school, like the school had threatened, but she would still be working on extra credits. Her mother cited a pedagogic theory about children remaining with their social peers. But she also wanted Willow to be getting ahead academically. And Willow wasn't the only one either. There was a group from school, like Chris, Eric, and Fritz. Always the same ones: those who needed enrichment. She'd said that to explain to Xander why she took more school then required; then elaborated, "Enriched, kinda like Wonder Bread."

"So you're full of extra minerals for growing minds?"

And that was all the guys wanted to know, except when she took an introduction to chemistry course with test tubes, beakers, and random explosions. Xander always wanted to hear about the explosions, but he'd never listen to the chemical reasons for the reaction. Oh well, he'd have to learn in high school.

But the no-vite bothered her. Weren't they the Three Musketeers? Sure, she knew there'd really been four musketeers, but she wasn't going to tell the guys that. The important part was why should they be separated?

She could do anything they did, except for skateboarding. Her mom wouldn't let her. Or rather she would start quoting head injury statistics and how most head injuries damaged the patient's ability to learn. And that fact was enough to scare her into sitting on the side lines as Jesse and Xander tried taking curbs and small jumps. Despite her repeating the statistics, they wouldn't even wear helmets.

"It's about the wind in my hair, man."

"Xander, you can't say 'man'. It so doesn't work."

"Could too work. I just need to practice."

"Nay, she's right. If you have to practice, it's not gonna work."

"Jesse, you're supposed to be on my side. Or are you going to wear a wussie helmet?"

For a second, she thought she'd won that round, but Cordelia walked past and tossed her hair while sniffing in their direction. So much for that victory.

So when the great secret was finally revealed, it was a shock.

"Comic books? That's what I can't be involved in?"

"But comics are a guy thing, Willow. I mean, we never see girls in the comic store."

"No, wait a sec, " Jesse interrupted, "there was that one about a year ago."

"But the rumor was she was buying for a boyfriend."

They shuddered, reminding Willow that her best-est buds were still in the 'girls have cooties' stage of development. The child psychology book she read in her mom's office had a technical name for it, but 'cooties' summed it up just fine. Luckily, the guys seemed to have a Willow exempt clause, even if it didn't extend to comics.

She'd tried logic. She'd tried reminding them of how she helped with school. Despite that, they wouldn't budge.

It was time for the Big Guns.

She turned on the Eyes.

They looked at her. Then at each other. They sighed and shrugged in synchronicity. "It's that important to you? I mean, we don't bug you about your extra school stuff," Jesse said.

"Well, only about the explosions – and really I think that's kind of required. I mean – explosions!"

"That was chemistry, Xander," she responded, "although the magnesium experiments were a blast!" They all groaned at that one, which she thought was a good sign, given Jesse's last science grade.

They'd at least recognized that keeping her separate from the comic books wasn't right. Although she _had_ been using Sunday afternoons for the extra credit homework. It was enough for them to admit they were wrong. Someone had to be the brains of this outfit. Maybe she could keep teaching them stuff 'accidentally' so they could always be in the same class, even if they didn't share Sunday comics.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I know not only guys read comics. I read them through out high school so Xander and Jesse's assessment is theirs and not reflective of my own. The guys in Willow's enrichment classes? Yup Fritz is from I Robot You Jane and the other two were from Some Assembly Required.


End file.
